How significant is the problem of land pollution in Australia?
Issues with no end in sight In many areas, Australia’s temperate zones and coastal ecosystems have been extensively altered, many wetlands have been degraded. Climate change, and introduced plants and animals (invasives), are the agents of the radical changes that are tearing through Australia’s environment. The result? Dramatic declines in the distribution and abundance of many species, with natural resources such as water now going scarce. Deforestation When forests are cut, the salinity of the soil can greatly increase. As a result, saline water draining from such areas can affect downstream or downslope water quality. It is estimated that around 7% of the agricultural area of western Australia is suffering from this problem following deforestation. Moreover, studies in Australia’s wet tropics show that soils have limited capacity to recover from deforestation. This adds to deforestation’s price tag. Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) es
